U.S. farm product sales to Cuba, which began only in 2002, have now topped $1 billion, the head of Cuba's food import agency said on Thursday. That trade appears to be growing despite a marked deterioration in always tense bilateral relations. "We have paid $1.043 billion to date," Alimport Chairman Pedro Alvarez said after signing a $22 million contract for 10,000 tonnes of milk with Dairy America of Arizona. Alimport includes shipping and other costs in its figures. Alvarez said most of the 163,000 tonnes (tons) of agricultural products purchased from the United States under a 2000 U.S. measure that allowed cash-only sales were shipped by U.S. companies. Alimport reported Cuba had become the 22nd largest U.S. agricultural market, with sales of $474 million last year. In January, U.S. companies did $45 million in new business with Cuba, Alvarez said. Also last month, the Bush administration branded Cuba an "outpost of tyranny" that needed to be liberated and President Fidel Castro called the U.S. president "deranged" and his government "fascist". --More 2347 Local Time 2047 GMT
